Device for supplying heated air to carbureters.



O. G. ERICKSON.

DEVICE FOR SUPPLYING HEATED AIR T0 CARBURETERS.

APPLICAIION FILED MAR. 12, 1914. 1 1%1 45Q Patentedlnne 1, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEE1 l.

nuentoz gLmzk' $13 012, wi/bmeo'oao 0. G. ERICKSON. DEVICE FOR SUPPLYING HEATED AIR TO CARBURETERS.

I APPLICATION FILED MAR.12,1914- 1 1%1 %@0 PatentedJune 1, 1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

a 4 J6 1 M UNITE @iAEQi OSCAR G. ERICKSON, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

DEVICE FOR SUIPLYI'NG HEATED. AIR TO CARBURETERS.

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Specification of Letters Batent.

Patented June El, 1915.

Application filed March 12, 1914. Serial No. 824,229.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OSCAR G. ERIoKsoN, citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Supplying Heated Air to Carbureters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to fuel supply systems for internal combustion engines, more particularly for internal combustion engines of self-propelled vehicles, the object of my invention, being the'provision of a heating jacket about the carbureter or fuel mixer of the engine and the further provision of means for pro-heating the fuel before its supply to the carbureter.

More specifically this invention constitutes an improvement over the structure disclosed in my copending application, Se-

the heating jacket of the manifold tothat of the carburetor. In this connection, a further object of my invention is to provide means, if found desirable, for supplyingcold air to the jacket surrounding the carburetor so as to temper the heating of the carbureter.

A further object of my invention is to preheat the fuel supply by passing the fuel supply pipe, in the form of a helical coil, through the pipe leading from thejacket about the exhaust manifold to the jacket about the carbureter.

A still-further object of my invention is the provision of means for supplying either a low grade fuelor a high grade fuel to the same carbureter, the supply means being such that either rade of fuel may be cutofi from the car ureter when the other is being employed. In this connection, it

might be well to state that it is the feed pipe of the low grade fuel supply which leads through the pipe connecting the heating jackets of'my fuel supply system.

In connection with the dual supply system, above mentioned, a further object of my invention is the provision of a valve in each fuel supply pipe, that in the high grade fuel pipe being located a considerable distance from the carburetor, while that in the low grade supply pipe is located immediately adjacent the carbureter, certain advantages which will be hereinafter explained, resulting from this location of the valves.

With these and other objects in view, my invention will be more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and then specifically ointed out in the claims which are attached to and form a part of this application. v

In the drawings :Figure 1 is an elevational view. partially in section, of my im- Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view, showing.

a modified form of heating jacket construction in connection with a somewhat different form of carburetor having an auxiliary air supply pipe located immediately below the throttle valve of the carbureter.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

In order to insure a clear and complete understanding of my invention 1 have illustrated the same in connection with a conventional form of automobile engine 10 and carburetor 11, an intake manifold 12 leading from the'carbureter to the engine and an exhaust manifold 13 leading from the engine.

Primarily my invention includes a cas ing, indicated as a whole by the numeral 14: positioned about the carbureter, a heating jacket 15 surrounding a portion of the exhaust manifold, and a pipe 16 leading from the heating jacket to the .casing 14.

More specifically, the casing 14, which is preferably substantially spherical in shape, is formed in two symmetrical parts 17 and 18 hingedly connected at their rear edges, the casing sections diametrically opposite the hinge connection having registering ears 19 to receive a clamp screw 20 having a Wing nut 21. The casing sections, at their upper ends, are shaped vto fit snugly about the intake manifold of the engine, a packing ring being interposed between the manifold and such sections, if deemed advisable. One of the casing sections is provided with an opening through which a fuel supply pipe 22 is led and with a slot 23 through which the control rod 24, leading to the throttle, valve lever 25 of the carbureter,

passes. An arcuate plate or closure 26 is mounted for sliding movement against the inner face of the casing over the slot 23 and between spaced guides 27, this plate having an opening through which the throttle control rod 24 passes. By this construction, the rod is free to move longitudinally of the slot and also through the opening of the plate, while the plate, at all times and in all positions of the rod, completely closes the slot 23 to prevent access of cold air to the casing. The pipe 22, which is the high grade fuel supply pipe, leads to a fuel reservoir, not shown, and at some point, preferably remote from the carbureter and at a higher level, is provided with a cutoff valve 28 operable by a connecting rod 29 which may lead to any suitable hand lever or other devicelocated within convenient reach of the drivers seat.

The pipe 16, previously described as leading from the heating jacket 15 of the casing 14, leads from the rear end of the heating jacket 15 which, as shown, is closed, the forward end being open, and communicates at itsother end, preferably with that section of the casing through which the operating rod 24 and fuel supply pipe 22 extend.

A second fuel supply pipe 30, which is the pipe which supplies the low grade fuel' to the carbureter, preferably leads from the same carbureter coupling as the pipe 22 and extends through the greater portion of the length of the hot air supply pipe 16, leading through the wall of this pipe adjacent its connection with the heating jacket 15 and from this point to a low grade fuel supply tank, not-shown. This pipe 30, immediately adjacent iiis connection with the carbureter, is provide with a cutoff valve 31 operable by a connecting rod 32 corresponding to the connecting rod 29 and also leading to a hand lever or other suitable controlling mechanism near the drivers seat. That portion of the pipe 30, within the hot air supply pipe 16,is

wound in the form of a helix in order to increase the length of the fuel pipe extending in the air pipe 16 and insure perfect preheating of the fuel before its passage to the carbureter and also to insure pre-heating of a relatively large quantity of fuel in order that, irrespective of the rapidity of withdrawal of fuel from the carbureter by the engine, all fuel passing to the carbureter will be preheated.

The heating casing 14, and preferablyth at section 18 thereof, is provided with a tubular extension 83 having a Valve seat 34 to receive an outwardly movable disk valve 35. A bracket 36 is carried by the casing section 18 and perforated to receive the reciprocating valve stem 37 of the disk valve, a helical spring 38 being interposed between the bracket and valve to normally hold the latter in close engagement with its seat. Pivotally mounted upon the bracket 36 is a bell crank lever 39, one arm of which is connected by a chain 39 to the free end of the valve stem 37 A connecting rod 40 leads from the opposite arm of this lever to a hand lever, not shown,-located adjacent the drivers seat in order that this valve may be manually opened against the action of the spring 38, if desired, to regulate the temperature of the air in the heating jacket 10.

As best shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, the exhaustmanifold '13 is preferably provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced, longitudinally extending ribs or flanges 41 cast integrally with the pipe forming such manifold. The heating jacket -15 is formed in two symmetrical parts 42 and 43 having hinge connections 44 at their upper abutting edges and alined ears 45 at their lower edges to receive a clamp screw 46 having a wing nut 47. These jacket sections are so proportioned that they may be clamped closely about the outer edges of the flanges orribs 41 of the manifold pipe and therefore properly spaced from such pipe. Of course the lower edges of the sections of this jacket are cut-away at suitable points to close about the various leads 48 from the manifold to the various engine cylinders.

If preferred,the heating jacket and manithrottle valve and auxiliary air intake valve 139 are located at a considerable distance from the float chamber, such parts being indicated by the numerals 52, 53 and 5-1, respectively, while the carburetor, as a whole, is indicated by the numeral The heating casing, indicated as a whole by the .numeral 56, surrounding this carbureter is substantially identical in construction with that previously described, including hingedly connected sections 57 and 58. These sections, however, inclose only the lower uortion of the carbureter 55 including the float chamber and main air intake, Furthermore, inasmuch as the throttle valve of the carbureter is exteriorly lo cated with respect to this casing, no provision need be made for the connecting rod of the throttle control lever. This heating casing is provided with an air supplypipe 59 leading from the section 57 to the heating jacket surrounding the'engine exhaust manifold, and the low grade fuel supply pipe 30 is coiled in this pipe 59 the same as in the air supply pipe 16, being provided with a cutotf valve 60, the valve stem of which extends through an opening formed in the casing section 57 to receive an operating lever 61 and'connecting rod 62 corresponding to the connecting rod 32. The low grade fuel supply pipe 22 also leads through this section to the carbureter and is,of course, provided with the valve 28, which is not shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings, the scale from which this drawing is shown preventing such disclosure.

In this latter form of heating casing construction, the tubular extension 38 is replaced by a somewhat similar tubular extension 68 which, when the heating jacket is in place, communicates with the intake port 64: of the auxiliary air valve of the carbureter. By this means, a supply of heated air to the auxiliary air valve from the heating casing 56 is insured without the necessity of unduly enlarging the heating casing to surround the auxiliary air valve.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that all low grade fuel supplied to the carbureter is pro-heated before reaching the carburetor, that the fuel contained in the float chamber is constantly heated by the surrounding hot air jacketing of the carbureter, and that hot air is, in all cases, supplied to both the primary and auxiliary air intakesof the carbureter, all this being accomplished by the hot air supply pipe leading from a heating jacket about the exhaust manifold of the engine to a heating casing located about the whole, or a portion of the carbureter. It will further be apparent that provision has been made for admitting cold airto the jacket, if deemed advisable.

In operation, the valve 31, or the valve 60, as the case may be, is originally closed and the carbureter originally filled with high grade fuel supplied by the pipe 9.1-. The valve 28 of this fuel supply pipe is opened and the engine is started in the usual manner, the high grade fuel supply, such as gasolene, permitting ready starting of the engine; As soon as the engine and its manifold have become thoroughly heated so that sufiicient hot air is supplied to the air supply pipe 16 and heating jacket 10 of the carburetor, the valve controlling the flow of high grade fuel to the carburetor is closed and the valve controlling the how of low grade fuelto the carburetor opened with the result that for a short length of time the engine is run upon the mixture of the two different fuels, after which all fuel supplied to the engine is of the low grade type, kerosene beingusually employed.

Immediately before stopping the engine,'

the low grade fuel valve is'closed and the high grade fuel valve again opened in order that what low grade fuel remains in the carbureter may be used up and the carburetor tilled with high grade fuel before the engine completely steps so that the carbureter will contain nothing but high grade fuel or ga solene whenthe engine is to be again started. he locating of the cutoff valve of the low grade fuel supply pipe, immediately adjacent the carburetor, reduces toa minimum the amount of low grade fuel which must be used up before the engine is stopped and therefore cuts down the length of time which must elapse before cutting off of such fuel and stopping -of the engine. At the same time, the location of the cutoff valve of the high grade fuel supply pipe, at a considerable distance from the carbureter, results in the supply of a quantity of such fuel after the direct supply from its tank is cut oil so that the valve need remain open but a very short time after starting the engine.

The chain 39, forming the connection between the valve stem 37 and bell crank lever- 39, permits opening of the valve, due to pressure within the casing or heating jacket 10 independently of the bell cranl-z lever and its connecting rod 40. This is of great importance as it preven'ts injury to the casing 10 in case ofback firing in the carburetor.

It will of course be understood that various changes in construction. may be made without in the slightest degree deg'iarting from the spirit of my invention, as set forth in the appended claims. For instance, if desired, the heating casing 14- may be cast in-- tegrally about certain parts of. the carbureter.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A carbureter attachment including a casing adapted for detachable engagement about a carburetor, a heating jacket adapted to be positioned about the exhaust manifold of an engine, an air pipe communicating between theheating jacket and casing,

the casing being provided with an opening,

' grade fuel supply pipes leading to the ina normally closed spring-pressed valve at all times capable of opening under internal pressure normally closing the opening, and means for opening the valve.

2. A carbureter attachment including a casing adapted for detachable engagement about a carbureter, a heating jacket adapted to be positioned about the exhaust manifold of an engine, an air pipe communicating between the heating jacket andcasing, the casing being provided with an opening, a normally closed spring pressed valve atal'l times capable of opening under internal pressure normally closing the opening, and means for opening'the valve, said means permitting automatic opening of the valve, due to excessive pressure in the casing.

3. In a fuel supply system, the combination with a 'carbureter, of high and low takeof the carbureter, a cutoff valve in the high grade fuel supply pipe remote from the carbureter, whereby the said pipe holds a reserve supply of fuel after the valve is closed, a cutoff valve in the low grade fuel supply pipe adjacent the carbureter, Where-- by the low grade fuel pipe is prevented from 4. An attachment for carbureters includmg a caslng adapted to inclose a carnureter, a heating jacket adapted for attachment about the exhaust manifold of an engine, an air supply pipe leading from the jacket to the casing, and a fuel supply pipe extending through the air supply pipe and into the casing being adapted for attachment to the Iuel intake port of a carbureter in the casing. In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

OSCAR G. ERICKSON. [Ls] Witnesses:

L. F. WARD, GENEVIEVE M. BYRNEJ 

